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CANUCKS HOCKEY BLOG

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Canucks 3 Wild 1

The Vancouver Canucks extended their win streak to six games by beating the Minnesota Wild 3-1 last night in Minnesota. With the win, the Canucks improved their record to 8-1-1 and have now matched the fastest start in team history. Jarkko Ruutu opened the scoring with his first goal of the season and Alex Auld stopped 27 of 28 Wild shots to pace the Canucks. The game recap is here; the score sheet and stat sheet are here and here.

My notes from the game:

  • Alex Auld was steady again. He had some rebound control problems late in the game, but he still made the saves when he needed to. A lot of Minnesota's shots were good quality - in close or wide-open - and Auld stopped all but one of them. He is now a perfect 3-0-0 for the season, and while scoring is up around the league, he is sporting a 1.67 GAA and .936 SV%.
  • Anyone else have problems with the pay-per-view feed? I missed the last 6 minutes or so of the first period.
  • Maybe it's just me... but the more I watch Anson Carter, the more I wonder if his chemistry with the Sedins is overrated. He's not a good puckhandler and he doesn't seem overly strong. In fact, he seems to lose the puck or gets knocked off it a lot. I know the Sedins are off to a good start, but Anson only has 4 points (2-2), and most of the Sedins goals come from feeds to/from one another. I know the line has only been together for 10 games, but I actually wonder how much Carter has had to do with the Sedins' early success.
  • There was a sequence in the third period when, on a 4-on-4, the Canucks held the puck in their offensive zone for more than a minute. Naslund was skating circles - literally - around the Wild and the team produced 2 or 3 good scoring opportunities.
  • Bryan Allen has my early vote for unsung hero. I don't even want to think of what the defense would be like if he hadn't stepped up. Solid, stay-at-home type, who plays the body and blocks shots - exactly what this team needed. So far he has looked good in a bigger role and like he can handle his 19 minutes of ice-time per game.
Next up: Colorado on Thursday.

(Edit @ 4:47 PM: I erroneously had the Canucks win streak at seven games. It is, in fact, only a six-game win streak. I think I was thinking ahead to my post-game review tomorrow night.)
posted by J.J. Guerrero, 6:48 AM

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